Stressor
by meiflower
Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Alex Damien. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is… Garland/Warrior of Light yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.
1. Angry

Disclaimer: I do not own Dissidia:FF or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Dannath. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is…

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.

**[Dissidia:FF] Stressor** **[Garland/Warrior of Light]**

They were alone.

It was not the first time such a thing had occurred, but Garland certainly hoped it would not be the last.

The Warrior of Light was just so much fun to be with.

"Poor Warrior… all alone, unable to socialize successfully with his own teammates. He lectures the others on the power of teamwork and friendship and yet no one wants to be with him. The poor tragic hero. No one to care for him."

The Warrior of Light's eyes narrowed dangerously, analyzing Garland's mocking.

"No one to love, no one to hold. No past, no memories, not even a name." Garland sneered. "And there's not the slightest thing you can to change yourself or your destiny, to rid yourself of this never-ending cycle of-"

The Warrior lashed out at him with a slightly shaking blade. He blocked the sword, forcing the Warrior to stagger backward, thrown off-balance. The silver-haired man set a hand on the ground to steady himself a few feet away and glared up at Garland, snarling.

"I could say the same of you."

"And in saying so you would be thoroughly misguided, for I do not long for such things and have no need for them- while you, on the other hand, seek such comforts almost as much as you wish for this conflict to end." Garland parried a few thrusts and smirked, though the Warrior of Light could not have seen it. "Perhaps even more."

The Warrior cried out in anguish, which soon became fury. Garland was taken by surprise when the smaller man made to strike and then cast his shield at the last moment. He took the full force of the blast and was sent into a pillar, which collapsed behind him.

Rendered immobile for a few seconds, he was significantly surprised when the Warrior of Light leaned over him and spoke harshly,

"Assume all you want about me, Garland. What I want, what you want, and the outcome of this war have absolutely no correlation."

He strode off without a backwards glance.

And Garland had made the Warrior of Light angry.

* * *

**[A/N] A stressor is ****an event, experience, etc., that causes stress or provokes emotion. Hence the title. Obviously. (.)**

**Dannath and I were having a conversation on dA, and she wrote, "****I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL." And I jumped on it. **

**I'm going to make this my first multi-chaptered fic… so please keep your eye out for updates in the near future if you enjoyed this chapter!**

**I love this pair. This is dedicated to Dannath and also to January 1, 2010- which is, in case you didn't realize, 1/1. Garland/Warrior of Light day~!**

**Alright! I will try my best for the next chapter as well!**

**Thank you very much for reading.**


	2. Scared

Disclaimer: I do not own Dissidia:FF or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Dannath. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is…

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.

**[Dissidia:FF] Stressor** **[Garland/Warrior of Light]**

It was a random encounter of sorts.

The Warrior of Light actually had felt a foreshadowing of the moment not too long ago. He had dismissed the thoughts as paranoia, but know found himself face-to-face with his archenemy, his eternal rival.

He should not have been so careless.

Garland leered at him from beneath his armor and struck out with his weapon, extending the chain that connected the blades and sweeping the Warrior off his feet and onto the cold stone floor. He landed with a loud crash of armor and struggled to stand, feeling frantic and foolish and fearful.

His ankles were entangled in the heavy chains, and Garland had noticed. The gigantic armored knight reeled in his prey as the Warrior floundered at his feet, trying in vain to untangle his legs.

Garland snickered inwardly. The man looked so pathetically _helpless. _As if to confirm the thought, the Warrior let out a sound akin to a whimper as he resisted against the restraints at his feet. Then, almost in embarrassment, the whimper changed into a growl of agitation.

Yanking on the thick chains, Garland hoisted the Warrior of Light to his feet. The Warrior yelped and fell onto Garland, a hand reaching out to steady himself. Said hand landed on Garland's chest, heating stone-cold armor until it was hastily withdrawn.

Garland's smirk could be seen through his helmet.

"So desperate for contact that you will seek it even from an enemy."

The Warrior of Light stiffened, much to Garland's amusement, and when he spoke, a quiver in his voice was blatant.

"I wish for no such thing, particularly not from you." The words were not quite as confident as the Warrior wished for them to sound, and he flinched as Garland laughed, a booming sound that filled the air around them.

"You never cease to amuse." Garland pulled the smaller man so that they were leveled eye-to-eye, forcing the Warrior several inches above the floor, held there by Garland's clawed hand.

The Warrior of Light shivered as the other of Garland's hands rose and he closed his eyes, expecting a punch to the face. At such close quarters and without armor over his features, the damage would be considerable… hopefully, nothing that could not be fixed…

But the blow never came. Instead, he was lowered to the ground again and held in place as he dislodged himself from the winding chains. Looking at Garland in utter confusion and slight dread of what was to come, The Warrior licked his lips, about to question the other man-

Garland beat him to it. "As I said… you never cease to amuse." He retracted the chain of his weapon completely with a practiced flick of his arm, then turned and left.

The Warrior of Light stared at the cape of the departing figure, then sank to the ground slowly, landing on his armored calves.

And Garland had made the Warrior of Light scared.

* * *

**[A/N] Did you notice the alliteration?!?!? : DDD**

**I heard once that alliteration was a sign of madness. : DDD**

**Uh, anyway, if you didn't notice, then go look for it. It's so good. It was totally unintentional too~ : ) I am so good. **

**Uh, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It just kind of flowed, which is nice, but also means that there may have been mistakes that escaped my notice. If you see anything amiss, please tell me so that I can correct it.**

**Alright! I will try my best for the next chapter as well!**

**Thank you very much for reading.**


	3. Amused

Disclaimer: I do not own Dissidia:FF or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Dannath. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is…

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.

**[Dissidia:FF] Stressor** **[Garland/Warrior of Light]**

The two of them had always interacted the same way. Declarations of faith to their corresponding sides, businesslike tones of voice throughout battle, habitual swordplay and acrobatics- it was a procedure now rather than a fight. They would meet, act like neither one existed during their fight, stop battling as if in a daze, and go their separate ways.

It was, simply put, their routine.

And Garland despised it.

For every one time that the Warrior looked at him with a _something else_ in his eyes, some brief flash of uncertainty, some longing for… _something, t_here were fifty that the battle ended without so much as a second of eye contact.

And Garland despised it.

So, during yet another of their endless skirmishes, Garland decided to try something different.

"You enjoy our little quarrels."

It was a statement, not a question, but left room for correction.

The Warrior lowered his blade and shield and stared at his adversary, cautious. "Our rather _physical_ little quarrels, you mean?"

A moment of almost-sarcasm from the ever stoic Warrior of Light! Garland basked in the moment.

The Warrior continued. "I fight to end the fighting. I neither enjoy nor dislike this duty."

Garland snorted. "Lies are unbecoming of the so-called bringer of light, you know." The Warrior's gaze hardened and Garland continued "If you really meant to end the conflict between us then you would not leave here until you did, and I recall both of us leaving several times without any injuries to speak of in the past few days."

"Your point being?"

"My point being that you are searching for something within our encounters and refusing to kill me until you find it; which, incidentally, makes this entire affair incredibly dull and unproductive."

"This entire… affair?

"Coming here almost at a scheduled time, without fail, for the past few nights and waiting for me to arrive, then declaring battle and yet leaving without either victory or defeat in hand. It is, as I said before, highly ineffective."

The Warrior looked at him with skepticism. "And yet, you participate in this routine by consistently coming at said time and agreeing to battle. And, similarly, you also leave here every night without reward."

Garland smirked. _Hopefully that will change shortly. _"I choose to humor your little peculiarity. In fact, I would like to know what you are seeking and by indulging this habit you've made I may be able to make that discovery."

The two stood in a moment of silence before the Warrior cocked a silver brow and spoke.

"Incredibly conversational today, are we?"

"If only to get that bored look off of your face."

And Garland had made the Warrior of Light amused.

* * *

**[A/N] UGGA. **

**I wrote this in my computers class. When I should have been doing something else. I'm not sure what. I never really pay attention in that class. Lord knows why I'm the Student of the Month. :P**

**Anyway, this chapter worked out okay, I guess. I wish that this fic had more views, but then again, the story has only been up, like, 24 hours. Still, maybe the in-progress status scares people away?**

**UGGA.**

**Thank you very much for reading.**


	4. Mortified

Disclaimer: I do not own Dissidia:FF or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Alex Damien. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is…

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.

**[Dissidia:FF] Stressor [Garland/Warrior of Light]**

It was not the healthiest of relationships.

In fact, it couldn't quite be called a relationship at all, though Garland entertained the idea regularly. The two of them had, however, progressed from violence-based interaction to tamer, more pleasant encounters.

They would have conversations.

…Without the clash of metal in the background.

The Warrior did not mind. On the contrary, he seemed almost happy about the development. Garland sensed almost… a jittery feeling emanating from the Cosmos warrior every time they met, as if the younger man wished to blurt out his latest thoughts all at once upon seeing Garland arrive.

It was one of the effects this world had on the two of them and everyone else in the war: loneliness, along with the need to converse with_ anyone._ Usually, this was oneself, one's comrades, a wall, or one's weapons.

For the Warrior this was usually himself or his weapons, and for Garland, this was often a wall.

But the two of them together were intellectuals and found that they had much to debate. The fighting, the rule of the gods, the world they were in, their teammates, and, on occasion, each other.

This was one of those occasions.

"Who were you? Before this, I mean."

The Warrior leaned back on his tailbone, gripping his legs to his chest and rocking in place on the ground. "I cannot remember. You know this."

Garland quirked an eyebrow beneath his helmet. "I know only what you have told me, which is little to nothing."

The Warrior stilled. "You know that I remember nothing of my past."

"I _thought_ that you remembered nothing of your past. Considering the way you've been acting of late, I am beginning to doubt that assumption."

_The way I've been acting of late? _The Warrior of Light paused and tried to recall his recent behavior. He had remained authoritative and indifferent the whole day, speaking only when needed and reminding everyone of their duties before going off his own way.

That was staggeringly typical.

"The way I've been acting of late?"

Garland nodded. "Your eyes light up when you see me, the way a dog's would upon seeing its master. Or something of the sort. You're regaining memories of the world before this one, correct?"

_How do those statements even connect?_ The Warrior thought. The first thing Garland had said troubled him. Did he really look that way? He had meant to acknowledge the enemy's presence with his eyes… apparently this had failed.

"…You think I look like a dog…? I'm mildly insulted."

Garland nodded again "Like a puppy. It suits you."

If the Warrior had something in his mouth, he would have spat it out. He nearly threw up his hands in exasperation. _How did it come to this? _"My past is scattered in a series of broken memories and pictures throughout my mind. I can hardly piece them together, let alone recall myself within them."

Garland almost snickered at the way the Warrior answered the question. The man had a realm of emotion swirling inside of him and it only took a bit of provocation to incite it. "And am I in any of those… scattered memories?"

The Warrior jolted.

And Garland had his answer.

"That is as much as I needed to know."

The Warrior bit his lip. What was this feeling of anxiousness? It was as though he was waiting for Garland to pass judgment on him.

"What do you mean?"

Garland rose and stretched, stifling a yawn. "I will be taking my leave now."

The Warrior uncurled his legs and made to get up, unable to speak but hoping that he could physically keep Garland from leaving.

Before he could, Garland had turned back to him. "Light?"

The Warrior jumped to his feet. The use of his name without its title was so unexpected and surprising and startling and _personal _and so, so _familiar_… His heart raced. His head pounded. "Yes?!"

And Garland recorded this victory so that he would remember it for eternities to come.

"There it is. You have the puppy eyes again."

And Garland had made the Warrior of Light mortified.

* * *

**[A/N] See the last line? Here's what I accidentally wrote: **

"**And Garland had made the Warrior of Light fortified."**

**I have no idea what I was thinking. **

**I was writing in my computers class again and I laughed so hard I nearly cried. My teacher accepted my explanation of "stomach cramps" and I went to the bathroom and laughed while sitting on the toilet seat with my pants on. If someone had come in, they would have called the police or something. Really.**

**Thank you very much for reading.**


	5. Embarrassed

Disclaimer: I do not own Dissidia:FF or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: "I vote for making Garland see how many expressions he can get out of WoL," says Alex Damien. And Mei, being the Garland/WoL fan that she is…

Rating: T

Warnings: Yaoi, shounen-ai, violence, language, sexual themes.

**[Dissidia:FF] Stressor [Garland/Warrior of Light]**

It had been a while since the two had crossed blades. For the past few hours, the Warrior of Light and Garland had alternated between conversation and mild attempts at violence. Lately the amount of actual fighting being done was close to none. Ironic, actually, considering that the two always approached each other with weapons drawn. These would quickly be placed leaning against a column, or be vaporized into nothing for later (usually nonexistent) use.

But today, they had decided to fight a bit- not as enemies but… acquaintances? Training partners? Sparring buddies? Garland wasn't sure where they stood at this point.

One thing was for sure though, to Garland's secret delight- the two were no longer the enemies they had been in the past.

_Clang. Swish. Clang, clang._

"You handle such a large weapon very well." The Warrior of Light poised his shield above his chest, taking a few deep breaths before regaining a fighting stance.

Garland almost asked _which one _before realizing that such insinuation was absurdly perverse and not at all dignified. He felt his cheeks burn just from the thought and thanked his armor for keeping it from view.

"You're quite the swordsman yourself, you know." A few more clangs of metal against metal, some destruction of the environment, and the two decided at the same time to take a much-needed rest.

It was odd- they seemed to be entirely in sync with each other. Garland didn't know if it was because they had come from the same world, or because they had some sort of… mental connection of some sort, but whenever one felt weary, energized or otherwise, the other picked up on it.

It was odd, but not at all unwelcome.

Garland broke the ground with his large, angular sword, and propped himself against it. "I was thinking about us."

The Warrior stared at him from against a pillar, one delicate eyebrow raised high. "Us."

It was a statement, not a question. Garland shrugged. "Have you not noticed the connection between us? Our movements, thoughts, they're all synchronized to some extent. Our emotions, too."

"Our emotions? Are you suggesting that you know how I am feeling right now, at this moment?"

Garland took the Warrior's unbelieving tone as a challenge. "You're feeling conflicted. You're unsure how to act around me because you're reluctant to accept me as anything but your enemy."

The Warrior grimaced. "True."

"Don't think so hard," Garland said, getting to his feet and approaching the other man "you need to learn to see things in color. Hell, you need to learn to see things in shades of gray. Everything has to be black and white to you."

"That's not-" Well, the Warrior pondered, maybe there was some degree of truth in the statement. But it wasn't that he didn't see the in-between of things… it was more that it was easier to see things as good and evil, light and dark, black and white…

He was formulating a witty and detached response when, suddenly, the ground _moved._

"Wha-"

"Damn," Garland swore. _Omega._

Everything collapsed beneath their feet, and Garland air dashed towards the Warrior, who was too surprised to move. _What the hell? The stage hadn't been changing before. Why all of a sudden?_

They fell.

And Garland landed.

And the Warrior of Light landed- on Garland.

"…"

"…"

Garland growled in annoyance, back aching from the suddenness of the impact, and tilted his head down to glance at his archrival. Said archrival was speechless, blushing, and straddling Garland's torso.

The armored knight raised a brow beneath his helmet. "Is there any particular reason why you remain on top of me, or is the metal of my armor just that comfortable a cushion?"

And Garland had made the Warrior of Light embarrassed.

* * *

**[A/N] It's been a while, but now that my fanfic The Essentials is over I am coming back to complete this fic~**

**I have maybe two chapters left that are planned out before the story's conclusion. **

**For anyone curious, this story takes place before the 012 cycle, a cycle the gamer does not get to see. Originally, I was going to say that the story took place one cycle before the events of Dissidia, but then Duodecim came out... I had to accommodate that. **

**Thank you very much for reading... please welcome me back! C:  
**


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